Base Stats
HP: 126
Attack: 131
Defense: 95
Special Attack: 131
Special Defense: 98
Speed: 99
Abilities
Fairy Aura: Powers up each Pokémon's Fairy-type moves.
Xerneas, while boasting several potential sets, is one of those Pokémon in Ubers that really only has one set that shines. This is its greatest strength and weakness because, simply put, this particular set is incredibly powerful. If not countered correctly, this legendary will rip through entire teams with ease. Its stats are, quite literally, a carbon copy of Yveltal (or is Yveltal a carbon copy of Xerneas…?). Boasting twin 131 attacking stats and a semi-unique base 99 Speed stat, it has the potential to be a dangerous mixed sweeper if given the opportunity to set up with Geomancy. And with a great base HP stat of 126 and passable 95/98 defenses, Xerneas has quite a few opportunities to do this.
Even better is Xerneas’s typing, which allows it to switch into predicted Dragon-type attacks and get a free turn to set up. Pure Fairy-types only have two fairly-uncommon weaknesses to Steel and Poison-type attacks, and the latter of which is practically non-existent in the current metagame. The only thing Xerneas really needs to look out for are Steel-types with strong STABs, like Scizor’s Bullet Punch, or Dialga’s Iron Head/Flash Cannon.
However, without proper planning or careless switching, our rainbow steed will find itself quite useless for the entire battle. To put it bluntly, this Pokémon will either go big or go home; you either get it all, or go home broke. I won’t beat around the bush any longer, folks. Geomancy is the gem that makes Xerneas shine, but is also its permanent crutch.
And You Thought Quiver Dance was Good? Ha!
Xerneas
Hold Item: Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Geomancy
Moonblast
Psyshock/ Focus Blast/Hidden Power Fire
Thunder/ Horn Leech/Grass Knot
Let’s get down to business (to defeat the Huns). Power Herb is the key to the whole set. It makes a bad move usable. Yeah I said it. Geomancy is a bad move, but that shouldn’t be news to anyone. Anything that forces you to wait a turn is bad for competitive play, as that turn gives your opponent a chance to bring in a counter and neutralize the threat. The Power Herb gives Xerneas a chance to let loose the power of the Earth with Geomancy in one turn, giving Xerneas a +2 boost to Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed - the equivalent of two Quiver Dances.
Obviously, if it goes off, Geomancy can make Xerneas a near-unstoppable force, but the extra setup turn is too huge a disadvantage to ignore, forcing Xerneas to forego other boosting items - such as the Life Orb - for the Power Herb, which gives Xerneas the one-turn boost it needs to compete with the big boys. Moonblast is your go-to STAB move and is your primary damage-dealer. It cripples almost everything. Even dedicated special walls can’t take more than two hits from a boosted Moonblast. Psyshock provides coverage on random Poison types you may rarely come across, as well as hitting Pokémon with a lower physical Defense than Special Defense should the need arise. Focus Blast, while somewhat unreliable due to low Accuracy, is for taking out tricky Steel types that are looking to OHKO with Gyro Ball after you Geomancy (I’m looking at you, Ferrothorn and Forretress). Thunder provides great coverage alongside its other attacks, and with the popularity of Kyogre in Ubers, rainy weather is almost omnipresent. With the new game reveals we can only assume it will grow more popular. Horn Leech is an option for some “meh” recovery on some sets who think they are tricky, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The recovery is nice, and if you run Hidden Power Fire over Psyshock the physical damage can be nice. Still though, overall Grass isn’t a good coverage move in the tier unless you want to run Grass Knot for a clean OHKO on Groudon and Kyogre (and even then, Thunder is a better option overall).
If you are looking for a hard stop to Xerneas after it has set up Geomancy, good luck. Not much can put a stop to its sweep. Those random Poison types I mentioned earlier don’t amount to much in the Ubers tier. In fact, the only one worth mentioning is the odd Poison Arceus. Yes, that’s right - Poison Arceus is a thing. Even better, Poison Arceus is actually popular. Why is this? Solely because of Xerneas’s sweeping potential. This is the reason we carry Psyshock, folks. It makes quick work of Arceus, but its STAB-boosted Poison Jab can be extremely dangerous to Xerneas.
Speaking of our multi-type God, Steel Arceus is still around this generation and still creates problems, particularly for Xerneas. The issue is that you can only be prepared for one kind of Arceus; Psyshock hits Poison Arceus while Focus Blast hits Steel Arceus. Personally, I like Psyshock for its much higher Accuracy and its ability to hit dedicated special walls hard.
The last, and greatest, counter I will talk about is my personal favorite winged wall of awesomeness, Lugia. Lugia presents a big problem for our Xerneas. With Multiscale up, Lugia can take a boosted hit fine and strike back with Whirlwind. Even without Multiscale, it can survive one Moonblast after Stealth Rock damage and Whirlwind the rainbow stag away, a feat that nothing else can boast about. Although it is seriously injured in each circumstance, Lugia is gifted with a high base 110 Speed, which is very speedy compared to others Ubers, most of which sit at base 90 Speed. This allows it to outspeed the incoming Pokémon and Roost off the damage more often than not. This is extremely difficult to deal with, and the best course of action is to not try and sweep with Xerneas until after a Lugia is dealt with, lest you get stuck with an itemless, boost-less Xerneas.
Great teammates for Xerneas include Mega Gengar and Zekrom. Mega Gengar is able to trap opposing Pokémon with Shadow Tag and defeat counters to Xerneas, namely Lugia. Zekrom, on the other hand, is another powerhouse that takes things into its own hands with an ability that negates Multiscale and a powerful STAB Bolt Strike. A lot of Zekrom’s counters are easy setup material for Xerneas, while Zekrom can plow through Pokemon that give Xerneas a hard time, making the two very compatible for an offensive core in Ubers.
All in all, Xerneas is a lot of fun to use and is a riot once it takes off. However, it is mostly a one-trick pony (er… stag?), and most Xerneas you encounter will probably try to abuse Geomancy. If you’re looking to experiment with the new Fairy type, Xerneas won’t disappoint. It can take down entire teams if not dealt with properly.
- JaydenSilver
But wait folks, there's more!
FAIRIES!
A Second Opinion by Alltheginjoints
I’d like to make this clear from the get-go: JaydenSilver is definitely right about the Geomancy set. It is almost unparalleled in how destructive it is after one turn of setup, and that the Power Herb/Geomancy set is, without a doubt, the most unique and effective set Xerneas can run. However, if you've got a little bit of crazy in you (like good old Mr. Crockpot - I mean, Crocker - from Nickelodeon's The Fairly OddParents), there are some other sets Xerneas can run.
Wanda - Calm, Cool, and Collected
Xerneas
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Speed, 252 HP, 4 Special Attack
Calm Mind
Moonblast
Psyshock/Focus Blast
Thunderbolt/Thunder
Calm Mind? Why would anyone in their right mind use Calm Mind when they could use Geomancy! JaydenSilver said it best: the problem with the Geomancy set is that once you set up, you are basically forced to either stay in and face the music, switch out and waste the Power Herb, or wait until you get phased out by Lugia or other walls. You have one shot at sweeping your opponent, and that’s it. Once you’ve used your Power Herb, Geomancy is not a useful boosting move, or even economical. In addition to that, while the immediate boosting is awesome stuff, you are somewhat limited after that by not being able to boost further. Call me a greedy man, but why stop at a +2/+2 boost to Special Attack and Special Defense? With Calm Mind, yes, you are certainly slower than with Geomancy, but you have the capability of accumulating boosts again if you fail for some reason, giving Xerneas a second lease on life that it wouldn’t get if it were to run Geomancy.
Cosmo - the Crazy Fool
Xerneas
Hold Item: Choice Scarf/Specs
Nature: Modest/Timid
EVs: 252 Speed, 252 Special Attack 4 HP
Moonblast
Focus Blast
Psyshock
Hidden Power Fire
Fairy is a downright great type for a Choice item user. Since it hits most types for neutral damage and has a resistance to Dark, Fighting, and Bug types - and is Dragon immune - Fairy Xerneas makes a great Choice user in Ubers. This set functions like any other Choice set, so I won’t waste your time, but it is worth noting that the other premiere Scarf user in Ubers is Genesect, who shares the same speed bracket - so running Timid nature is essential for a speed tie.
Jorgen Von Strangle - Fairy Smash!
Xerneas
Hold Item: Life Orb
Naive Nature
EVs: 252 Speed, 100 Attack, 152 Special Attack
Moonblast
Close Combat
Psyshock
Rock Slide
I know you’re thinking it - yes, Rock Slide is exclusively for Ho-oh. (Oh… you weren’t thinking that?) This set is the best for catching many of Xerneas’s counters on the switch in. The Life Pokemon’s Attack stat is actually just as good as its Special Attack, so a mixed set is very viable. While this set does not have the sweeping potential of the Calm Mind or Geomancy set, it does have an immediate power that can break through many walls and leave the opposing team crippled for the entire match.
Anyway, I didn’t go into too much detail because, in all seriousness, if you are using Xerneas, you’re probably using the Geomancy set. But that’s not all the Fairy King can do and so, there are a few more options to consider. These are just my thoughts.
Signing off for now,
-Alltheginjoints
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